Devotionals

Because there were not many inns in the ancient world, hospitality was particularly necessary. That need continues today, even in countries where hotels and other lodging options are abundant. We should seek to show hospitality whenever we can, whether by ...Read More

Zeal for the Lord does not mean uncontrolled exuberance or a passion that is not in submission to what God has told us. We see this in Paul’s admonition that our zeal must “serve the Lord” (Rom. 12:11). We cannot ...Read More

Today we see a false understanding of love manifested most commonly in romantic relationships. Many people justify adultery by saying that they no longer love their spouse but love another person. People often justify homosexual relationships by saying, “As long ...Read More

Some people do not use their spiritual gifts because they do not know what they are. Others do not feel the freedom to use their gifts because their local church lacks an atmosphere that encourages the laity to do ministry. ...Read More

Ultimately speaking, God does not need us for His plan to succeed. However, He has deemed it wise to use us—to use His church—to accomplish His purposes in the world. The Lord has ordered things so that all of His ...Read More

As Reformed evangelical Christians, we are quick to emphasize the importance of personal Bible study. But do our words match our practice? Scripture does not set out some program of reading that must be followed in order to be a ...Read More

John Calvin comments on today’s passage that “we are redeemed by the Lord for this end—that we may consecrate to him ourselves and all our members.” We are not our own, but we are bought with the price of Christ’s ...Read More

Only if God ordains all things can we be confident that He is working all things together for our good. Because even evil is a part of the Lord’s plan, we know that there is a reason for every bad ...Read More

The distinction between God’s hidden will and His revealed will gives us a great deal of freedom. We do not have to worry about His hidden will, because we cannot know it anyway. But as long as we seek to ...Read More

The standard for true love, wisdom, kindness, justice, and so on is the character of God Himself. This means that we cannot define these moral qualities without reference to the Lord and that we cannot base our understanding of these ...Read More